Vincent Kompany is in a race to be fit for Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday and, because Nicolás Otamendi is also a doubt, Manuel Pellegrini may have to field Martín Demichelis alongside Eliaquim Mangala in central defence.
Kompany will return to full training with the first-team squad on Monday following a knee injury and has told friends it is too close to call regarding whether he plays against PSG in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
The captain sustained the injury on 15 March in the last-16 second leg against Dynamo Kyiv. With the quarter-final poised at 2-2, however, and City’s shaky defence culpable for each PSG goal in last Wednesday’s first leg, Pellegrini will give Kompany every chance to be available.
“It’s a difficult decision,” the manager said. “I think the easiest decision is for Vincent to play but it’s not easy to know if he really can play, if he is able to play 90 minutes, he is 100% recovered, not to come off in the first 10 minutes. It’s not an easy decision. We will assess him Sunday and Monday. Sunday will be the first day he will work with the team [in the warm-down]. It’s difficult but we’ll see.
“From the moment he starts working with the squad he has a chance but he has not played for about a month. We will wait. We must test him. We must speak with him. We must do a lot of different things. We must take the correct decision. I always talk with the player. If he’s ready he will want to play.”
City and Belgium, whom Kompany also captains, have not always been in accord regarding his condition to play. However, the national association’s medical department contacted the club on Friday and is understood to trust Kompany not to rush himself back needlessly.
Otamendi played in the whole of City’s 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday but was seen limping afterwards. The Argentinian refused to say what the problem was but, if he is also unavailable, then Pellegrini is faced with selecting Demichelis.
The 35-year-old is now a fringe player and struggled in his most recent start, the 1-0 defeat by Manchester United on 20 March, being replaced on 53 minutes. Given the issues in City’s rearguard – Stéphane Sessègnon’s goal on Saturday was again down to questionable defending – the chances of reaching the European Cup semi-finals for the first time may not be enhanced if Demichelis starts.
Sergio Agüero was forced off on 90 minutes on Saturday by a foot problem but Pellegrini insisted the striker had taken only a kick and would be fit to take on PSG.
The manager is also hopeful that David Silva has recovered from an ankle injury and can face the French champions.
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